Stephen Curry shoots a three-pointer in Golden State's 102-99 win over the Rockets on Thursday.

Photo: Kelley L Cox, Reuters

Stephen Curry shoots a three-pointer in Golden State's 102-99 win...

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Feb 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference guard Stephen Curry (30) of the Golden State Warriors shoots the ball during the 2014 NBA All-Star Game at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Photo: Bob Donnan, Reuters

Feb 16, 2014; New Orleans, LA, USA; Western Conference guard...

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry goes up for a shot between Sacramento Kings' Rudy Gay, left, and Isaiah Thomas during the first quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli0

Photo: Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry goes up for a shot...

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, center, drives to the basket against Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay, left, during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Sacramento, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2014. The Warriors won 101-92.(AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli0

Stephen Curryis the epitome of the modern-day shooter, and not just in terms of efficiency. He lives by the three-pointer, but if you give him a little space, he'll attack the rim and choose from a wondrous variety of floaters and bank shots with either hand.

Missing: the midrange jumper. He can bury that shot, all day long, but it's becoming a lost art on all levels of the game.

In a strange and disturbing combination of defensive strategy and statistical analysis, the midrange jumper has been devalued, even scorned. Why bother when you can attack the rim for a higher-percentage shot, or gain a mathematical advantage from long range? That's the consensus opinion among today's NBA general managers, many of them strictly bound to analytics, and it makes one wonder: Could this brand of thinking cost some team a playoff series, or even a championship?

In many ways, this "return on investment" trend is perfectly explainable. As opposed to the early stages of the three-point era, when only the very best shooters took that route, just about everyone's casting off now. Pervasive defensive alignments focus on guarding space, instead of a courtwide man-to-man, which can close off areas in the 15- to 18-foot range.

If nobody's taking the midrange jumper on a consistent basis, the success rate automatically drops. Things change, however, in the postseason. Run-and-gun teams get slowed to a crawl. There's a premium on the efficiency of a halfcourt set. There has yet to be an NBA champion built largely around three-point shooting, and the decline of low-post, back-to-the-basket scoring has been a glaring issue for several years.

Simply put, these "worthless" shots are absolute difference-makers when the stakes are highest. So practice that shot, all you rotation mainstays, and do so relentlessly. Maybe it's not a big part of your arsenal, but you're going to need it when it counts.

Around the NBA

-- The Warriors must be pleased at the residue of the trading deadline. In picking up Steve Blake, they were the only Western Conference postseason contender to make a significant improvement.

-- To be determined: whether the Clippers pick up Glen"Big Baby" Davis, who will become a free agent on Monday in the wake of his buyout in Orlando. Not that he's a huge difference-maker, but he's reportedly interested in a reunion with Doc Rivers, his coach in Boston.

-- Word leaked out that Brooklyn arranged a private workout with Jason Collinsin Los Angeles, which could lead to an awkward set of circumstances (the Nets could be perceived as a weak-minded organization if they don't sign the man intending to be the NBA's first openly gay player). Collins has a number of connections with the Nets, one of his former teams, but they also have an interest in Davis.

-- It now seems a distinct possibility that Bryant is through for the season. The Lakers announced he'll be out at least another three weeks due to ongoing complications in his left knee, and that doesn't account for the conditioning process to get back in game shape. Why risk further injury to compete for three or four weeks when the Lakers, realistically, need to lose? Then again, does Kobe need to reassure potential free-agent acquisitions that he's not a broken-down relic?

-- It is widely believed that the Indiana Pacers won't miss Danny Granger, dealt to Philadelphia. The opinion seems split on their acquisition of Evan Turner. On one hand, he brings youth, a 17-point scoring average and the ability to create his own shot, giving Indiana a clear advantage in depth over Miami. But some question his defense and ability to fit into a team concept. He also represents a threat to Lance Stephenson, as they play the same position and both are due to sign long-term deals this summer.

-- Not long into the season, Houston realized that Omer Asikwasn't a good fit alongside Dwight Howard, and they figured to make an attractive deal for their rim-protector who led the NBA in per-game rebounding last season. Then Asik sulked, got injured and fell completely out of favor. The trading deadline has passed and he's still a dead-weight presence on that team.

-- Belated congratulations to Sarunas Marciulionison his Hall of Fame election. With all respect to Arvidas Sabonisand Drazen Petrovic, Marciulionis broke down the barriers of perception as the NBA's first European import to play with abandon and a complete absence of fear. From the old Soviet Union team to the pioneering days in Lithuania to his time with the Warriors, he left indelible memories.

-- The whole "Mount Rushmore" thing is a bit ridiculous in a five-man sport, but LeBron James revealed his misguided youth when he left Bill Russelloff his list of four. Responded Russell, good-naturedly, to TNT's Craig Sager: "Hey, thank you for leaving me off. I'm glad you did. Basketball is a team game, it's not for individual honors. I won back-to-back state championships in high school, back-to-back NCAA championships in college. I won an NBA championship my first year in the league, a championship my last year, and nine in between. And that, Mr. James, is etched in stone."